Sand tickling my toes...

 

Enjoy!

As Always,

It's not just the photo, it's the moment I want to capture in my heart forever...

Snow Valley Ski Resort in Southern California  

getting the mountain ready!

Ski boundary area

Back country at Snow Valley

after a storm we prepare the lifts to open to the public

North and South American kids ready for a day off...

The Ramp Queen for this past season, Agustina from Argentina

Colby with Monica from Brazil

Emilio from Argentina

The whole group dressed up for "Sports Day" on Superbowl Sunday 2011

Working at a bottom station of Lift #3 at Snow Valley

I get to work at the most amazing job each winter season and with the best people possible from all over the world!  I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!  There are so many days where the stillness of the forest will take your breath away; especially the time when the storm finally clears and the sun peeks through to see if it's safe to come out yet!

A visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina

Exploring in our backyard playground

very old, abandoned hunter's cabin

a peek at Big Bear Lake in the distance

 Lee (our guide), Autumn, Me and Jose (visiting us from Argentina)

440 year old lodge pole pine tree we discovered

Robert Jr. absorbing the wonder of it all

We went on a great hiking adventure up to Bluff Lake in Big Bear.  Living in the mountains in Southern California, we are usually blessed with pretty great weather and the most amazing scenery!  Although it is springtime, we had to trudge through a lot of snow before reaching the top.  That was a feat in itself, and cold!!  We discovered an old abandoned hunters cabin and also the largest Champion Lodge pole Pine tree in the Northern Hemisphere. It has survived every earthquake, flood and fire to have hit the mountains in the past 440 years.  I didn’t even know it was there, so it was a great surprise!  It was a terrific exploration and I hope to push myself do more in the future to keep the kids interested in nature. I really want them to gain an appreciation for the outdoors and absorb all of the beauty that we have surrounding us every day! There is just so much for us all to be grateful for!

Find JOY Everyday!

“Life isn’t about finding yourself, it’s about creating yourself” 
 –George Bernard Shaw

I think I may be on the edge of something promising, huh? But I wouldn’t start this new journey without mentioning my favorite friend, Joy. The blog world seems intimidating to me, but Joy has shown me that life is just too beautiful not to share! I was on the lookout to find a new way to remind myself to notice everything again. You know, like we did when we were just kids. Just taking it all in with the utmost appreciation for all that I have and will experience in my “travels”. I have lived in a small town my whole life and have been blessed with a great cast of friends and family!!! I realize at this point in my life, that I need to grow. I just need to. Do you ever feel like that?
Blogging feels like it will be a great visual autobiography that I hope ends up feeling a bit therapeutic, (if that makes sense). Sometimes it’s hard to keep sight of what’s simple, and genuine. Recording it. Keeping track of my own footsteps seems exciting and definitely a whole new concept for me. I am travel-happy! 

But after peeking in (and practically stalking) Joy's HowJoyful blog for so long, how could I not feel intimidated? Shish! The atmosphere of her blog is wonderful! Have you ever known someone where everything they touch is instantly beautiful? It’s spectacular to watch! I am so grateful that I get to have Joy in my life (and her husband is pretty cool too!) and I get to watch her create so many beautiful things. It inspires me to want to be more, and to want to be better. I feel like I want to learn from Joy’s simple, yet elegant, approach.
I hope all of this inspiration is infectious and my daughter gets the bug also to be creative with a special willingness to explore her inner beauty. I hope she finds a way to express it in some wonderful fashion!
Staying at home with my favorite family, (mine!), focusing on building and keeping strong core values while all the while encouraging each other to always share your dreams is what is most important to me right now. Big or small. 
I tend to be a person who likes to stay inside, or close to home, but it’s inspiring when I push myself to go out and experience something new. Or just to get out and enjoy the outdoors. That’s where my husband and Joy come in to my happy picture. They are much more out-going and they are more willing to take chances than me. They make me want to reach outside of myself. They make me curious as to what more could be lurking outside…waiting for me! So this is what my journey is about. To go somewhere I have never been. Life is like a classroom for me right now, and everywhere will be my teacher.

Discovering the blog world

Everyone has a story. This just might be a new chapter for mine. I am always on the lookout to discover something beautiful; taking photographs of moments I would like never to forget, (using a camera as well as in my head!) I love the creative comforts that I find for my family to enjoy. It's so important, especially in these times, to raise a family with a sense of grace and kindness.  There is no one I would rather be with than my husband and three awesome kids!

I wish I could have a hand in bringing back passion for all that's old-fashioned; making and creating new Eco-Friendly designs inspired by the richness of vintage flavors. Well, here's to my new journey!

Next stop, WONDERLAND...